2009 capital spending

City council will review a three-year, 2009-11 capital budget next month. This may look like a repeat of an earlier post, but the proposed budget contains a few changes from the 10-year capital plan. Here are a few highlights:

Total spending: $78.7 million

Funding breakdown
 - Grants: $67.9 million *
 - Taxes: $3.9 million
 - Reserves: $2.7 million
 - Offsite levies (roads): $2.2 million
 - Debt: $1.9 million **

* This includes $45 million from the provincial government as a payback for Ray Gibbon Drive, money that would go toward stage three to Villeneuve Road.

** Debt proposed to complete stage three of Ray Gibbon Drive.

What's in

- Ray Gibbon Drive stage three, $47.4 million

This will complete two lanes from Giroux Road to Villeneuve Road, plus all the land  needed for a wider right of way and interchanges to accommodate an eight-lane freeway. It also includes pre-grading of the next two lanes.

- Southwest sector arterial (LeClair Way) phase one, $4.9 million

Access to Riel Business Park from Ray Gibbon Drive. This arterial road will connect to the Riel Drive extension (work underway now) to Ray Gibbon Drive

- Transit buses, $2.6 million

New buses for route expansions and ridership growth. Does not include ridership increases related to the U-Pass.

- Bridge repairs, $2.5 million

The city repaired the Perron Street Bridge this year. Next year it's time to work on the St. Albert Road and Sir Winston Churchill bridges.

- Transit garage expansion phase two, $2.5 million

More offices, storage, driver facilities and dispatch areas. 

- Fire hall No. 1, $500,000

The first year of funding (possibly for designs) to complete a rebuild or renovate the fire hall on Sir Winston Churchill Avenue.

- South park 'n' ride, $500,000

Buys land for a new park 'n' ride station near Superstore (just north of the future ring road). It will replace the Village Landing station.

- Riel Park reclamation study, $300,000

This study will provide a plan and designs for the next phase of landfill remediation and surface work needed at Riel Park. The work is to start in 2010, split between the utility and capital budget. 

Note - There are plenty more that I didn't post here. Administration is proposing 67 budget requests in total (with identified funding). There are three more that didn't make the funded list (which council can change if they want), including this one below.

What's not

Library branch planning and design, $1.2 million

Pretty self explanatory. The city is looking at three potential sites for a second library: the new Hole's in South Riel, the Badger lands and Erin Ridge North.